How else do you plan to save a delicious home cooked meal if not for storage containers? If you haven’t used an entire onion or other veggie you can also save them in a container to chop up tomorrow.

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3/11

Grater

Having a grater around is the perfect accessory for toppings. If you see need to get rid of some questionable cheese, just cut off the sketchy-looking part and grate the rest on to pasta or soup. You can also grate veggies like carrots or cucumbers for salads.

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4/11

Strainer or Colander

If you want to enjoy all those fresh groceries you’ve just picked up, then a strainer or colander is essential. With the help of a colander, you can wash all types of lettuce, all your veggies and drain the water from noodle dishes.

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5/11

Electronic Teakettle

An electronic teakettle is incredibly helpful to boil water quickly. If you love tea then this item is a must-have, but also if you just want to hurry along that boiled egg, then a tea kettle will speed things up.

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6/11

Can Opener

Canned foods are great for your wallet. Canned black beans and chickpeas boast a whole lot of nutrients, but won’t cost too much. However, the preparation of canned foods is impossible without the help of a can opener. Do yourself a favor and get a good can opener (not a flimsy one that will break the first time it’s used).

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7/11

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Improvising in the kitchen is definitely a fun thing to do, but it is still important to invest in some measuring spoons and cups. You’ll have greater control of how much of your groceries you are using.

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8/11

Chopping Knife

How do you expect to prepare any of your groceries without a knife? Don’t forget that pre-chopped veggies are more expensive than fresh produce. A most versatile tool, a basic chopping knife, will help you slice fruits and veggies with ease, but you can chop just about anything. A great knife can help you to cut up chicken and bread too.

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9/11

Wooden Spoon

Just about any type of dish that goes on the stove requires a spoon. Use a wooden spoon to stir up rice, sautéed veggies or scramble eggs.

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10/11

Ladle

When serving a soup or a dish smothered in sauce, using a regular spoon will not only be inefficient, it will make a mess. If you’ve gone through the trouble to buy the ingredients to make homemade tomato sauce or chicken soup, you will definitely need a ladle to transport heaping portions of your tasty creation.

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11/11

Vegetable Peeler

Buying fresh produce is generally cheaper, but some recipes require peeled veggies. With the help of a veggie peeler, this task is quick and seamless. Plus a certain turkey-filled holiday is approaching and nothing goes better with turkey than a big bowl of mashed potatoes, which traditionally require peeled potatoes.

With the help of some essential kitchen tools, you can always make due with any sized grocery load.

Just chopping a few extra veggies and saving them in storage containers will encourage you to use them up tomorrow or even bring to work for lunch. Certain kitchen essentials like a strainer or a peeler will help you to take on different recipes and ensure that you won't let groceries go to waste.